{"id":3761,"date":"2024-10-16T14:28:49","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T13:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jigsaw-research.co.uk\/?p=3761"},"modified":"2025-02-21T09:31:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T09:31:54","slug":"musings-of-a-field-veteran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jigsaw-research.strat7.com\/us\/blog\/musings-of-a-field-veteran\/","title":{"rendered":"Musings of a field veteran"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018It was a good group last night; we had 6 people attend and they can be paid\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is a typical start to the day for anyone working in Field \u2013 and a good one, better than the alternative that feels you with dread:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018The group last night was terrible; the participants didn\u2019t really contribute, two turned up 20 mins late, one was struggling to stay awake, and one had a barking dog in the background – the client was viewing, and understandably, they were unhappy. We need to redo the group\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some people, working in research can be glamorous. I spoke to someone recently whose job it was to fly around the world to observe first viewings of TV programmes to see live reactions of a test audience \u2013 sounded pretty good to me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other qualitative researchers may find themselves travelling to destinations around the world, whilst for others (most probably), particularly post pandemic with the resulting boom in online research, the furthest they\u2019ll find themselves is in a windowless hotel meeting room in a small town somewhere in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those working in Field however are unlikely to be seen in the outside world at all! We are the cogs behind the process, the mechanics that makes things happen. The silent sleuths, trying to find the 2% incidence respondents needed for that group in Aberdeen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had my first experience of working in Field in 2000. Back then everything was done on paper and pen and fax machines were used to distribute recruitment specs to regional recruiters around the country! Work packs were printed and posted and an unmeasurable number of completed paper screeners were returned to you. 24 years later it\u2019s a very different experience (one I am sure anyone with an eye on climate change is grateful for), but what exactly do we do? Most people know what Market Research is, and some even know the difference between Qualitative and Quantitative \u2013 but what is \u2018Field\u2019 and what does working in \u2018Field\u2019 entail?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best definition I have found on the internet is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Field research refers to the process and methods<\/strong> of gathering qualitative data about the interactions of people or groups in their natural environments.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When my children ask me what it means I say something like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018If a client wants to know what its customers think about a new product offering, it\u2019s my job to make sure that the right customers are in the right place at the right time so that they can give their opinions\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sounds simple? Sometimes yes, but it depends on the complexity of the project. Those \u2018processes and methods\u2019 may have involved:<\/p>\n\n\n\n